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Scranton City Council on Thursday repealed last year's reappointment of John Moore to the city's Historical Architecture Review Board.

Council voted 3-1 to adopt a repeal resolution, with council President Janet Evans and members Jack Loscombe and Pat Rogan voting yes and Bob McGoff voting no. Councilman Frank Joyce was absent.

Mr. Moore was reappointed in November to a five-year term by Mayor Chris Doherty, with the then-unknowing consent of council.

However, council recently determined a 1996 ordinance requires HARB members to serve only two consecutive terms, after which five years would have to elapse before a member could be appointed again. Council said Mr. Moore was appointed in 1997 and reappointed three times, with the latter two in violation of the ordinance.

When the issue was first raised by council Sept. 12, council suggested that Mr. Moore should resign but he flatly refused. Mr. Moore had said he believed his reappointment was valid and council actions to remove him was retribution for his vote in May on a HARB recommendation to council that the University of Scranton's plan to raze Leahy Hall and use exhibits to recognize its role in the city is appropriate.

Mr. Rogan, a supporter of the university's building plan, said he agrees with Mr. Moore that the repeal resolution was retribution for his Leahy Hall stance, but Mr. Rogan still voted for the repeal because the reappointments violated the ordinance.

"Do I believe that this may be retaliation or brought on because of Mr. Moore's vote on Leahy Hall? Yes, I do," Mr. Rogan said. However, "A yes vote is the proper thing to do here."

Mrs. Evans said, "This is not a matter of retribution in any way," and if other HARB members were over their term limits they would have been repealed, too.

Mr. Loscombe also said his vote was based solely on the ordinance violations.

Mr. McGoff, who voted to introduce the repeal resolution on Sept. 12, cast a "symbolic no" vote against it Thursday.

"I believe what we're doing is a rather unceremonious way of removing a man who has done a great deal of work for HARB," Mr. McGoff said. "I understand the legal aspects of it. I wish that we had perhaps pursued some other avenues for dealing with this problem ... I just feel that in some way we're doing a disservice to Mr. Moore for all of the years he has served as chairman of HARB."

The repeal resolution now goes to the mayor. His options include a veto, which may set up a potential override showdown with council; signing the resolution and thus repealing the reappointment; or doing nothing, in which case after 10 days the resolution would stand and Mr. Moore's reappointment would be repealed.

Contacted before the council meeting, Mr. Doherty did not take a position and said a repeal resolution would go to the city solicitor for review.

In other matters

Council voted 4-0 on each of the following:

-âTo introduce a resolution to apply for state gaming funds for a $146,000 state grant to fund installation of a "community surveillance network system" at the police station. Such a closed-circuit network would allow private surveillance cameras in the city, such as those at banks, businesses or colleges, to link to the police station, where a wall of 32 video monitors at police headquarters would be monitored 24-7 by police, Mr. Loscombe said. The network would not intrude on any privacy because the surveillance cameras already exist in public areas, he said. "It's like putting more police on the street," Mr. Loscombe said.

-âTo introduce an ordinance to apply for and execute a $23,400 federal grant to buy two police cruisers.

-âTo advance on second reading an ordinance to approve the city's 2014 plan for Community Development Block Grants for a host of activities, such as paving and blight demolition, Home Investment Partnership grants for low- and moderate-income homeowners, and Emergency Solutions grants to assist the homeless. A public hearing was held before the council meeting on a proposed Action Plan for how nearly $3 million in federal Housing and Urban Development block grant funds might be spent next year. After OECD issued a public notice Sept. 11 showing all of the grant requests that have been received, OECD submitted to council a recommendation on where the HUD funding should be spent. RepreÂ­sentatives of several social-service agencies that have applied for grants and who spoke during the hearing explained their organization's needs. Some members of the public also spoke during the hearing about where they hoped to see the block grants spent. Council now may accept or modify the OECD recommendations, and the city must submit its 2014 Action Plan to HUD by Nov. 15. After advancing the ordinance, council voted 4-0 to table it to allow for a 30-day public comment period to run.

-âTo adopt an ordinance approving and accepting the city's capital budget for 2014.

-âTo adopt an ordinance creating a required separate account for the city Office of Economic and Community Development to receive repayment of a prior city loan to Scranton-Connell LLC, developer of the Connell Building.

-âTo adopt a resolution approving the mayor's reappointment of Thelma Wheeler to the Scranton Housing Authority for a five-year term. Her current term expires on Sept. 27, and her new term would expire Sept. 27, 2018.

In other matters:

-âCouncil announced that a caucus scheduled for Sept. 26 with Scranton Mall Associates, owner of the Mall at Steamtown and other downtown properties, has been canceled and will be rescheduled. The caucus will be about extending the repayment period of a $1.16 million loan the city gave years ago to SMA.

-âResident Doug Miller suggested that the city consider imposing on college students a 1 percent tuition tax, similar to such a tax Pittsburgh had levied. He estimates a tuition tax would raise $6.5 million a year for Scranton. Resident Lee Morgan disagreed with Mr. Miller's idea and said the city should not tax a segment that has no say in the city. Mrs. Evans said council would pass along Mr. Miller's idea and his research to the council solicitor to review whether such a tax would be legal and/or feasible. She said it could open the doors toward the city receiving increased payments in lieu of taxes from universities.

-âMr. McGoff reported on city finances: as of Monday, the city had $6.17 million cash in the bank, owed $192,000 in "accounts payable" bills, and recently paid $654,000 to cover a city-backed bond payment of Scranton Parking Authority. The city's annual audit also is late due to delays by SPA and its court-appointed receiver in providing information to the city auditor. The auditor wants revenue and expenditure information on each of the city's five parking garages, and "getting information from them (SPA and the receiver) has become difficult," Mr. McGoff said.

-âMrs. Evans reported on the status of private management of the city's parking meters by Republic Parking System of Tennessee; revenues in July and August were up $22,000 and $30,000, respectively, as compared to July and August of 2012 when the meters were managed by SPA, she said.

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